well does not contain more plant-food than one that yields poorly: on the other hand, many soils that give poor yields are often rich in plant-food. The chemical composition is not always the deciding factor in fertility. As a matter of fact, it is rarely the deciding factor. Equally important for the plant are heat, air, light, good tilth and moisture. The writer once analyzed a soil that showed high amounts of plantfood, and yet the yields were very low. A good sytem of tile-drains was put in this field, and three years later the crops were very large. The draining produced no change in the composition of that soil, but it brought success. There is a more or less widespread notion that, if one knew the relative amounts of plant-food in a

soil, a deficiency of one might be remedied by adding it in some fertilizer. This may be true in the case of nitrogen, but that can be determined by the growth of crops, as pointed out above. In most cases the failure to grow good crops is due to some of the other factors of plant-growth not being right, and not to a mere lack of plant-food."

The beginner is likely to be attracted by the socalled "abandoned" farms, in much the

Fig. 150. A type of farmhouse that is well worth preserving, if the construction is still sound.This particular building is an historic structure on Long Island, New York, built by the first settlers.

same way, no doubt, that one is attracted by a bargain counter at a store. An abandoned farm may or may not be a bargain; the presumption is that it is not a bargain, for if it were of first-class value the occupiers probably would not have left it. The intending purchaser should determine why the farm is abandoned before he allows himself to be tempted. Cheap farms, like cheap goods, are likely to prove unsatisfactory and even dear in the end. It is a common notion that one may well buy a worn-out" fara, and then bring it up to a high state of fertility. In most cases, such land can be renovated and made productive, but the process requires skill, takes time, and usually costs more than to buy good land in the beginning. Of course everything depends on how badly the land is worn and what the facilities are for recuperating it. The new farmer usually has enough other problems without beginning with a serious handicap in the land itself.

Where? There is no one place that is best for a farm. The part of the earth is usually more important from the personal standpoint than from the agricultural standpoint. All the preceding pages testify to the fact that agriculture thrives practically everywhere. Some crops demand certain climatic conditions, and of course these conditions must be met; there are great geographical regions in which certain kinds of husbandry reach their highest state; but there still remains the widest choice as to region, and one cannot give general advice. For certain kinds of agriculture, the old East is better than even the agricultural West. Some persons long merely for a change of climate and scene: this may be commendable, but it is not often required by the necessities of farming. Skill in farming will succeed anywhere, if it is combined with good business ability. Persons who fail in one place are likely also to fail in another. Climate and geography cannot take the place of personal ability, not even if the climate is the most propitious on the earth.

The novice must be on his guard as to literature. Many books and magazine articles contain just enough truth to make them dangerous. The safe book is more than likely to be somewhat dry, or at least not to fire the enthusiasm to white heat. It is a good rule to beware of any book or article that makes farming very easy, and that does not state the cautions and warn of the disabilities.

In the choice of crops, it is always safe for the beginner to avoid all high-class and narrow specialties. In certain hands, and under ideal or unusual conditions now and then, these specialties turn handsome profits, but this does not necessarily commend them. Mushrooms, Angora goats, ginseng and all fancy crops and breeds should be taken up with great caution. It is the shortcoming of the person who has read much and has practiced little to pick out isolated crops or products; but the good farmer is the one who works his practices into a system. This system should be such as to conserve or even increase the productiveness of the soil, to economize labor and other expenditure, and to furnish a sustained effort, and to allow some leisure.

It is not the purpose of this editorial to make it difficult for the beginner to choose a farm. The Editor has no desire to discourage any one from going on the land. There are great possibilities in agriculture, and the kinds of agriculture are so many that almost any person can find a type of business to his liking. But it is desired to let the learner know that farming is a serious business (if it were not, there would be no need of a Cyclopedia devoted to it), and to set some of the problems before him. The beginner is sure to meet these problems, and he would better meet some of them before he buys his farm. Usually he should not rely on his own judgment alone. It is likely to pay, in the long run, to seek the advice of an experienced and cautious man. The kind of advice that such a person would be likely to give is indicated in the three articles that follow.

GENERAL ADVICE TO THE CITY MAN
WHO WOULD BUY A FARM
By George T. Powell

For many years the city man has been attempting to manage land. For a few months he hopes to secure from it some degree of pleasure, a larger measure of health, and, in some instances, a margin of money profits. Unfortunately, however, instead of managing, in too many instances he is managed. Through some land-agent he has probably covered the farm with dollars in the fictitious price he has paid for it, and everything he has done by way of building and improvements has been in a most expensive, even extravagant way, until he finds his country place to be a costly burden.

In the choice of a farm by a city purchaser, when personal knowledge of farms is limited, the services and advice of some competent authority should be sought, to whom may be given the main points that are desired in the proposed farm. This would include the section or locality that is preferred; the size of the farm; the general policy that is to be carried out in building; whether extensive, formal landscape work, requiring road-building, construc

the plans of the farm. The purchaser should consult this expert in the same spirit in which he would consult an engineer or a lawyer in case he needed engineering or legal advice.

With the policy defined, if a particular farm is under consideration, it should be carefully examined by the expert as to the character and condition of the soil, the suitability of the place for the purposes desired, the extent and quality of the water-supply, the best location for the buildings, the natural landscape effects of which advantage may be taken; and all of these considerations should be embodied in a definite report that will give a comprehensive idea of the advantages and disadvantages of the farm. In addition to the farm itself, the neighborhood should be considered, its social advantages, roads, telephone and mail facilities, all of which are now essential to the city man who plans to spend an increasing part of his time on a farm.

If the purchaser plans to buy a farm for the purpose of developing certain lines of agriculture, and to give to it his best thought and business energies, the relation of the farm to transportation and to markets becomes highly important, as also the labor facilities that may be at command.

In the construction of buildings, the expert should make a study of the natural materials in stone, sand and gravel that may be on the place, and the extent to which these may be utilized. Information should be secured as to the kind and amount of machinery that will be necessary, the varieties of fruits best adapted to the soil and location; if orchards are desired, the cost of trees and of planting them, and the capital required to maintain them until they become productive. The purchaser should secure information on the cost of labor, the purchase and cost of supplies, and an approximate estimate of the capital necessary to conduct the business successfully. Were this information first obtained, there would be much less

Fig. 151. A common type of run-down farmstead. Such buildings are likely to attract the city man who thinks that a cheap place may be readily reconstructed into a desirable habitation, but they usually prove to be the most expensive in the end and are incapable of being made really satisfactory.

tion of artificial lakes or ponds, forest- and ornamental-tree planting, or the planting of orchards of fruit trees is to be done; also, whether a dairy is to be kept on the farm; whether horses, sheep, pigs and poultry are to be included; and to what extent agriculture as a business is to be made a feature of

Plate VIII. Farm lands in New England. Guernsey herd of Arthur H. Sagendorph, Spencer, Massachusetts